Group Hysteria
Or maybe I should say: misery loves company.
It is the nature of many, if not most, things to have a cycle. The economy expands and the economy contracts. Global temperatures go up and global temperatures go down. Breathe in, breathe out. Nature at work. That’s just the way it is.
Anyone who expects the economy to continually go up has unrealistic expectations. And, when things take a downward turn, they make more of it than it is… they overreact. Indeed, some people may be truly hurt, but many are not. And it seems like quite a few in that latter category have too much empathy with thosewho are honestly having hard times.
I would like to first note that, without diminishing the pain some people are actually experiencing through no fault of their own, there are some who are having tough times who brought most of the problem upon themselves… usually by not saving, by running up bills at or beyond their ability to pay, and by failing to modify their habits when things started to get tighter.
Others are not actually experiencing problems but PERCEIVE that they are. For example, someone who lives in their house that has a value last year of, say, $200,000 and that now has a market value of perhaps $175,000 THINKS they are suffering… but, if they are still able to make their monthly payments as usual, they will not actually lose $25,000 unless they sell the house. It remains only a “paper loss”… a spreadsheet adjustment of their net worth… an imaginary reduction. While certainly not good, it is not real until they sell… and, if that doesn’t happen for a number of years, the market may be much different at that time. Furthermore, the reduced value of their house compared to the prior yearis a short term comparison; if the house bought many years before at a much lower cost, then they still have “made money” on their home (but, again, nobody actually makes any money on a deal until there is a buy/sell transaction).
But some people like to complain.
And the news media likes to accentuate doom and gloom.
A bad combination. It creates a self-fulfilling scenario that feeds upon itself. Generally, things aren’t nearly as bad as the media would have you believe… but they have newspapers and magazines and TV programs to sell, agendas to promote, jobs to justify.
Lost in the noise is the true American story of those who suck it up and tough it out. Unheard is the saga of citizens who continue to work hard without complaint to pay their bills. Forgotten is the “heart” of our nation who innovate and create, who figure out a way to make the best of the situation, who discover more efficient methods that squeeze every ounce of productivity out of business processes so we can continue to enjoy an exceptional lifestyle despite the many “bad things” going on around us.
One reason football is such a popular sport is we all enjoy seeing a lesser team come together with a common goal to beat a more powerful team… what they lack in talent, they make up with in determination. They reach deep down and WILL themselves to win. They don’t give up, they don’t complain, they don’t ask for special favors, they don’t whine about injuries… each player just forgets about their problems and limitations, shuts out the noise of the crowd, focuses on doing their individual jobs the very best they can… and thinks about WINNING.
Even though football is just a game, there are some serious lessons to be learned from playing it. We need more TRUE AMERICANS, those with a winning spirit… who will prevail no matter what… to serve as role models for many of our less confident citizens. WE CAN get through any problem thrown at us, so long as WE remain strong of mind.
WE don’t need the government to solve our problems, WE will solve them. If anything we need government to get out of the way. Let US do what comes naturally.
